"Shooting Stars"From the Cable Spools series. I liked how weathering had produced long dark trails from so many of the elements, and how they related to the wood grain. It looked as if they were racing along. This one took a lot of layers and tweaking, but I like the free-form result.

It cooled off a lot yesterday, so I went for a nice long walk. I came upon some giant wooden spools for cable with amazing surfaces and visual themes. I took lots of pictures, but most of them will need much fussing. Here are two that only required moderate transforming.

About the Artist

Nancy Freeman is a native of California who lives now in Washington, DC. A lifelong artist, she paints portraits and other commissions for a living, which keeps her traditional skills tuned and supports her decades-old obsession with computer art, and pastel painting.She is currently using her 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th computers, but remembers when Dick Tracy had to make do with a two-way wrist radio.